(Stoically) Shooting
Posted: Sat Mar 28, 2015 1:28 pm
The scene opens with Michael Cole sitting in what is presumably a backstage interview room, facing the camera, wearing his usual suit and tie.
Michael Cole: Ladies and gentlemen, over the years the EBWF has been the scene of many epic returns. From Sting to Bret Hart, many greats have used the EBWF as the stage for their often highly anticipated returns. Speaking from experience, the buzz around the company when a big name like that reappears is quite something. This week Warfare will be the scene of another wrestling return. This is a return less hyped, less talked about, indeed, even bemusing to some. It is the return of the Iceman, Dean Malenko.
The camera pans out to reveal Malenko, stone faced, wearing a black shirt, sitting across from Cole.
Michael Cole: Dean, many were puzzled when they saw your name on the Warfare card. First thing's first, what are you doing here in the EBWF?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Look Cole, I'm going to ignore the frankly patronising tone of your introduction and give you the short answer. I'm here to do what I do best. Im here to wrestle. I'm here to win matches, and I'm here to win championships.
Michael Cole: Let me rephrase the question, why the EBWF?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Because the EBWF is the best wrestling company in the world, with the strongest roster. I don't want an easy ride. I'm gone past the point where beating nobody's every week makes me happy. Ric Flair said to be the man you gotta beat the man, well I'm here, because if "the man" is anywhere it's here. This is the big leagues, this could be my last run, and if it is I'm going to go out at the top.
Michael Cole: Is a return to wrestling something you've always planned?
Malenko sits forward somewhat in his seat, rubbing his mouth slightly.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Cole, there was a time when I was done with this business. This business, that we love, that I love, it's tough. It's like an abusive partner, it draws you in with it's aesthetic beauty, with it's promises of glory, and then it sucks the life out of you. It beats you down, then pulls you right back up to give you another beating. Nobody leaves this professional wrestling with the same love they had going into it, and it's rarely on their terms. Pro wrestling chews you up and spits you out... right onto the internet where you go and complain about it.
Michael Cole: It sounds li...
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: I wasn't finished. I left this business a broken man. I couldn't move a muscle without wincing in pain. I hated everything the business had become. The politics, the lies, the backstabbing, the attention seeking, the selfishness, that's never what wrestling was about. I was a veteran trying to move with the times, but I couldn't do it, it was soul destroying. And so I left. I left this business with the conviction to never return, to move on and use what years I had left to forge a new path. I could finally do things I loved, things I never even knew I loved until I tried them. Everything from reading to gardening. I traveled Japan for a year; I always loved Japan. Something about the culture, always suited my personality more than here. But anyway, I had some life changing experiences in my time there, in my time off. I'm a totally different person to the one I was last time you saw me in a ring.
Malenko pauses for a moment, seeming to think deeply.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: I know what you're thinking now, since I sat down I've done nothing but criticise the wrestling business. Why'd I come back? I meant everything I said about the business. It is the quintessential abusive partner. But I'm at the stage of my life where I don't NEED the business anymore. I'm not deluded, I know the business doesn't need me either. But unlike the last time, this isn't everything to me, I can deal with it failing, I could walk out the door right now and go home, it wouldn't bother me too much. See now, now that I've let go, I am totally free to achieve my full potential. I can do what I want with no concern for money, or fame or any of the other nonsense that plagues wrestlers minds. It shackles them. And most of all, I am done with "moving with the times". I've seen what so called "sports entertainment" is in 2015, and I don't like it. It is everything I despise about society these days. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame at any cost. There's no thought spared for seemingly outdated concepts like honour or respect. The USA has become a decadent society, a place where stupidity and laziness is celebrated, and the saying is very true, that art imitates reality. I'm here to go against the grain. I'm here not for admiration, but to fight for something higher than that, a dying ideal. Perhaps it will die with my generation. But I'm not done yet.
Michael Cole: You are clearly very passionate about the reasons for your return, but that return could be a damp squib if you fail in your debut at Warfare. You compete in a fatal four way match to determine a number one contender for the Breakout title at Wrestlemania, certainly a unique opportunity, but in your first match back are you really ready to beat three top young competitors in one match?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: If I didn't think I could beat every single man on that roster I wouldn't be here. Now the nature of the match presents a challenge, I can lose the match and not be pinned. So I'm going to have to keep total concentration at all times. If I lose focus for a moment it could cost me, I know that. But as I've said, I'm a different man now. You'd be surprised the power of a focused, trained mind which sets itself a goal. I know I was.
Michael Cole: Have you done much preparation for the match in the way of scouting your opponents? You'll have never faced any of these men before, they provide a fresh challenge.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: I've scouted them. They all have their strengths, but I believe their weaknesses far outweigh those. These guys are young, promising athletes. You've got Big Ryck, this guy is pure power, pure aggression. Just looking at the roster I'd say he's got to be up there as the strongest guy on it. But then, power can only get you so far when you're facing an opponent as skilled as Austin Aries. Aries does impress me. He's smooth as silk in the ring, he's agile, he's athletic, and he's a great wrestler. Why isn't he at the top of the card? Maybe it's the lack of strength of a Big Ryck, or maybe it's his naivety. The lack of intelligence and calculating approach that a guy like Damien Sandow, my third opponent has. Sandow is indeed an intelligent competitor. But he's another man who's focused so much on one area of his game at the expense of another. So all these guys have clear strength, all of them weaknesses. Who wins? Me. You see, if you take the aggression and power of Big Ryck, the agility and wrestling skills of Austin Aries, and the intelligence and calculated style of Damien Sandow, you combine them all into one wrestler, and who do you get? Dean. Malenko. I do not lack in any department. unlike these guys, I don't neglect any area of my game. Power, speed, technique, intelligence, focus. I devote equal time and intensity to fine tuning all these areas of my game to be at their very best. When I look at this match as an outsider, totally objectively, I look at it and I can't see Dean Malenko not winning.
Michael Cole: Dean, I'm afraid we are running out of time. A question I must ask though, is that throughout your career you competed mainly in cruiserweight or light heavyweight divisions. In your first match you'll face two heavyweights in Big Ryck and Damien Sandow. There isn't a cruiserweight division in the EBWF and this will be a common occurrence in your time here. Will you have to adapt the style that served you so well throughout your career to face heavyweights?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Somehwat. My style has changed naturally over the last few years. As I said, in my time out of the ring I developed immensely. Especially in Japan, training in martial arts, in alternate wrestling styles. I could always mat wrestle better than anyone, I was and I am the man of a thousand holds. Now though, I have an added dimension, I can strike, I can hit and get hit. I have always been a shooter. Now it's more pronounced. I am THE shooter of the EBWF and whether my opponent is 180 or 300 pounds, when I hit them in the face it will be just as impactful. For the first time in my career I have the perfect balance, the man of a thousand holds, the shooter.
Michael Cole: And Dean, I know you've faced some huge tragedies in your life outside of wrestling, which we won't get into right now. You seem as calm and collected as ever though, some would have broken down in your situation, I know I would have. We know in the ring you're a shooter, would you say outside of it, the best way to describe your attitude is... Stoic?
Malenko sits back, taking a deep breath, then nods slightly.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: You're damn right Cole. I am a shooter inside and outside of the ring. I hit hard and I tell it how I see it, and with that I don't let unnecessary emotions or personal intricacies get in the way of what is right. Yeah, I guess you could call me the Stoic Shooter.
Malenko's facial expression almost breaks into a self satisfied grin.
Michael Cole: Dean Malenko, thank you.
*The Iceman* *The Stoic Shooter* Dean Malenko: Mark my words Cole... mark my words.
Cole and Malenko shake hands as the scene fades to black.
Michael Cole: Ladies and gentlemen, over the years the EBWF has been the scene of many epic returns. From Sting to Bret Hart, many greats have used the EBWF as the stage for their often highly anticipated returns. Speaking from experience, the buzz around the company when a big name like that reappears is quite something. This week Warfare will be the scene of another wrestling return. This is a return less hyped, less talked about, indeed, even bemusing to some. It is the return of the Iceman, Dean Malenko.
The camera pans out to reveal Malenko, stone faced, wearing a black shirt, sitting across from Cole.
Michael Cole: Dean, many were puzzled when they saw your name on the Warfare card. First thing's first, what are you doing here in the EBWF?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Look Cole, I'm going to ignore the frankly patronising tone of your introduction and give you the short answer. I'm here to do what I do best. Im here to wrestle. I'm here to win matches, and I'm here to win championships.
Michael Cole: Let me rephrase the question, why the EBWF?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Because the EBWF is the best wrestling company in the world, with the strongest roster. I don't want an easy ride. I'm gone past the point where beating nobody's every week makes me happy. Ric Flair said to be the man you gotta beat the man, well I'm here, because if "the man" is anywhere it's here. This is the big leagues, this could be my last run, and if it is I'm going to go out at the top.
Michael Cole: Is a return to wrestling something you've always planned?
Malenko sits forward somewhat in his seat, rubbing his mouth slightly.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Cole, there was a time when I was done with this business. This business, that we love, that I love, it's tough. It's like an abusive partner, it draws you in with it's aesthetic beauty, with it's promises of glory, and then it sucks the life out of you. It beats you down, then pulls you right back up to give you another beating. Nobody leaves this professional wrestling with the same love they had going into it, and it's rarely on their terms. Pro wrestling chews you up and spits you out... right onto the internet where you go and complain about it.
Michael Cole: It sounds li...
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: I wasn't finished. I left this business a broken man. I couldn't move a muscle without wincing in pain. I hated everything the business had become. The politics, the lies, the backstabbing, the attention seeking, the selfishness, that's never what wrestling was about. I was a veteran trying to move with the times, but I couldn't do it, it was soul destroying. And so I left. I left this business with the conviction to never return, to move on and use what years I had left to forge a new path. I could finally do things I loved, things I never even knew I loved until I tried them. Everything from reading to gardening. I traveled Japan for a year; I always loved Japan. Something about the culture, always suited my personality more than here. But anyway, I had some life changing experiences in my time there, in my time off. I'm a totally different person to the one I was last time you saw me in a ring.
Malenko pauses for a moment, seeming to think deeply.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: I know what you're thinking now, since I sat down I've done nothing but criticise the wrestling business. Why'd I come back? I meant everything I said about the business. It is the quintessential abusive partner. But I'm at the stage of my life where I don't NEED the business anymore. I'm not deluded, I know the business doesn't need me either. But unlike the last time, this isn't everything to me, I can deal with it failing, I could walk out the door right now and go home, it wouldn't bother me too much. See now, now that I've let go, I am totally free to achieve my full potential. I can do what I want with no concern for money, or fame or any of the other nonsense that plagues wrestlers minds. It shackles them. And most of all, I am done with "moving with the times". I've seen what so called "sports entertainment" is in 2015, and I don't like it. It is everything I despise about society these days. Everyone wants their 15 minutes of fame at any cost. There's no thought spared for seemingly outdated concepts like honour or respect. The USA has become a decadent society, a place where stupidity and laziness is celebrated, and the saying is very true, that art imitates reality. I'm here to go against the grain. I'm here not for admiration, but to fight for something higher than that, a dying ideal. Perhaps it will die with my generation. But I'm not done yet.
Michael Cole: You are clearly very passionate about the reasons for your return, but that return could be a damp squib if you fail in your debut at Warfare. You compete in a fatal four way match to determine a number one contender for the Breakout title at Wrestlemania, certainly a unique opportunity, but in your first match back are you really ready to beat three top young competitors in one match?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: If I didn't think I could beat every single man on that roster I wouldn't be here. Now the nature of the match presents a challenge, I can lose the match and not be pinned. So I'm going to have to keep total concentration at all times. If I lose focus for a moment it could cost me, I know that. But as I've said, I'm a different man now. You'd be surprised the power of a focused, trained mind which sets itself a goal. I know I was.
Michael Cole: Have you done much preparation for the match in the way of scouting your opponents? You'll have never faced any of these men before, they provide a fresh challenge.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: I've scouted them. They all have their strengths, but I believe their weaknesses far outweigh those. These guys are young, promising athletes. You've got Big Ryck, this guy is pure power, pure aggression. Just looking at the roster I'd say he's got to be up there as the strongest guy on it. But then, power can only get you so far when you're facing an opponent as skilled as Austin Aries. Aries does impress me. He's smooth as silk in the ring, he's agile, he's athletic, and he's a great wrestler. Why isn't he at the top of the card? Maybe it's the lack of strength of a Big Ryck, or maybe it's his naivety. The lack of intelligence and calculating approach that a guy like Damien Sandow, my third opponent has. Sandow is indeed an intelligent competitor. But he's another man who's focused so much on one area of his game at the expense of another. So all these guys have clear strength, all of them weaknesses. Who wins? Me. You see, if you take the aggression and power of Big Ryck, the agility and wrestling skills of Austin Aries, and the intelligence and calculated style of Damien Sandow, you combine them all into one wrestler, and who do you get? Dean. Malenko. I do not lack in any department. unlike these guys, I don't neglect any area of my game. Power, speed, technique, intelligence, focus. I devote equal time and intensity to fine tuning all these areas of my game to be at their very best. When I look at this match as an outsider, totally objectively, I look at it and I can't see Dean Malenko not winning.
Michael Cole: Dean, I'm afraid we are running out of time. A question I must ask though, is that throughout your career you competed mainly in cruiserweight or light heavyweight divisions. In your first match you'll face two heavyweights in Big Ryck and Damien Sandow. There isn't a cruiserweight division in the EBWF and this will be a common occurrence in your time here. Will you have to adapt the style that served you so well throughout your career to face heavyweights?
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: Somehwat. My style has changed naturally over the last few years. As I said, in my time out of the ring I developed immensely. Especially in Japan, training in martial arts, in alternate wrestling styles. I could always mat wrestle better than anyone, I was and I am the man of a thousand holds. Now though, I have an added dimension, I can strike, I can hit and get hit. I have always been a shooter. Now it's more pronounced. I am THE shooter of the EBWF and whether my opponent is 180 or 300 pounds, when I hit them in the face it will be just as impactful. For the first time in my career I have the perfect balance, the man of a thousand holds, the shooter.
Michael Cole: And Dean, I know you've faced some huge tragedies in your life outside of wrestling, which we won't get into right now. You seem as calm and collected as ever though, some would have broken down in your situation, I know I would have. We know in the ring you're a shooter, would you say outside of it, the best way to describe your attitude is... Stoic?
Malenko sits back, taking a deep breath, then nods slightly.
*The Iceman* Dean Malenko: You're damn right Cole. I am a shooter inside and outside of the ring. I hit hard and I tell it how I see it, and with that I don't let unnecessary emotions or personal intricacies get in the way of what is right. Yeah, I guess you could call me the Stoic Shooter.
Malenko's facial expression almost breaks into a self satisfied grin.
Michael Cole: Dean Malenko, thank you.
*The Iceman* *The Stoic Shooter* Dean Malenko: Mark my words Cole... mark my words.
Cole and Malenko shake hands as the scene fades to black.